Food Trip in Ilocos

     When was the last time I posted in my blog? I couldn't remember but it had been too long. Maybe  a year in my reckoning. So anyway, I will try to be active here if I could despite my hectic law studies. For my first article or I could say my post, I am posting some foods that is defining Ilocos. Actually my list is not complete as I omit some classic Iloko foods such as pinakbet, bagnet and some of our vegetable dish. There had been a proliferation of oily Ilocano foods (fried,drench in oil and full of meat). Let's just say our classic pinakbet was originally not that greasy but the increase in level of living here had upgraded our food a bit. 

     Some might ask why I would post food. First, it was one of the things I missed when I was in Manila. You can never forget your roots and I shouldn't as it taught me to love some vegetables like ampalaya (bitter gourd), talong (eggplant), okra etc. Second, I am really a certified foodie who wants to taste any food I want (of course there are limitations e.g. exotic foods). Lastly, this is a tribute to one of my favorite writer who taught me that even a mundane topic food could be an interesting topic for conversation. It could also taught us about Filipino culture and society. Of course, I am talking to the late Doreen Fernandez, a National Artist. So let's start the counting:

1) Miki 

    This is the Ilocanos our to chicken mami or lomi. It is a gooey, yellowish noodle (miki) soup. Duck or chicken meat are used as the soup base. It is usually top with egg and/or chicken or pork skin chicharon. The yellowish color of the soup is achieved by using achuete seeds as coloring (same as in kare-kare). Usually, eaters would seasoned it with condiments such as pepper, vinegar, patis, vinegar (the black Ilocos version), or vinegar infused with chilis.

   Most roadside eateries and carinderias would include it in there menu as a merienda or breakfast. Some would treat it as ulam and eat it with rice. The good thing about miki  is it still good to eat even after its not steamy hot unlike mami. 

2. Lumpianada

     This food is actually a pun on two Filipino food, lumpia and empanada (the Ilocano version). Actually one could say that the latter was a kind of the former as both were fried vegetable egg rolls (though the former has no eggs). Basically these new snack (I don't remember eating this as a kid) uses lumpia wrapper but stuffs it with egg, sayote, bean sprout or the vegetable fillings of empanada sans longganisa. Sometimes, dried shrimps would be added to add a salty taste in roll (which I detest). Just like its two parents, it could be seasoned with vinegar or catsup.

     Compared to empanada, lumpianada costs around P10 while an empanada (without the longganisa filling) costs around P20. It is also filling and if one is really desperate enough, it could also be treated as a viand.



3) Dragonfruit (Pitaya)

     Maybe one of the newest food to be adopted by Ilocanos as this originated from Mexico and Central America (the same place where most of the ingredients in the pinakbet originated). One could consider it as a fad crop here as most houses plant this is their garden (and sometimes engulfing their houses). The sunny weather in Ilocos could have been favorable for this cacti plants.

     When I first tasted it, I was not impressed by its taste as it is not that sweet as some fruits. What really piqued my taste buds is its watery consistency and its sesame like seeds. Definitely tasty but not as addictive as an apple or banana.







Note: I'll try to update this blog if I collect more info on some of our Ilocano foods.